The Possibility of You
by afragilelittlehuman
Summary: Lieutenant Edward Cullen is a dedicated fireman, but, when a new probie joins his crew, he struggles to keep things professional. Will he be able to keep himself in check or lose his heart to the possibility of love? AU/AH. M for language and lemon.


**An Officer and A Gentleman**** Contest  
****Title: **The Possibility of You  
**Your pen name: **afragilelittlehuman  
**Branch of Service/Profession: **Firefighter  
**Pairing: **Edward & Bella

If you would like to see all the stories that are a part of this contest visit the "**An Officer and a Gentleman**" C2 Community:  
http://www . fanfiction . net/community/The_Perv_Packs_An_Officer_and_a_Gentleman_Contest_Entries/76389/

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_Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended._

**A/N: Playlist song:  
http://www . youtube . com/watch?v=o8bdj2WXCSo**

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**The Possibility of You**

I fell in lust with her the minute I saw her tight little ass slide down that pole.

Damn, that sounds bad. Let me back up.

When Bella walked into the firehouse for her first shift as a probie, we were all welcoming and professional. As a lieutenant, I made sure my men treated her with respect and as an equal...well, as a regular probie. It wasn't like I had to work too hard at it. My guys are the best fire company in Seattle, and they took her in like any other new firefighter. Except for one small difference.

They were obsessed with seeing her slide down the station's pole.

It began with Emmett, as most bad ideas do, and soon Jasper and Jacob were in on it, too. All they talked about when Bella wasn't around was that damn pole. We didn't even use the stupid thing anymore; we only had one because our station was the oldest in town. I could see this was a sexual harassment suit in the making, and I told them so as we sat around the dining table at the beginning of the shift.

"Aw, Edward," Emmett whined, "come on. She'll think it's cool. She's just one of the guys. One of the guys with awesome tits and a cute ass, but one of the guys all the same." He sat, as usual, with his big boots propped up on the table. He knew how much Bella hated that and did it just to goad her.

Jasper, sipping on his first cup of coffee, was no help. "Yeah, she'll think it's hilarious."

"I totally think she'd do it if we just asked," Jacob added. He was a man of few words, but he was the best man to have your back in an inferno.

Walking to the fridge and grabbing a bottle of water, I stood over them, shaking my head in disbelief. "Guys, this is a monumentally bad idea. Bella would never..."

"I'd never what?" I'd recognize that lilting voice anywhere. After all, I'd fallen in like with her weeks earlier when she wouldn't let me help her wash the truck, a standard probie duty.

I stared in shock, wondering how much of this conversation she'd heard. I opened my mouth to defuse the situation, but Emmett had other plans.

"Edward here," he said, grinning and pointing at me, "says you're too stuck up to slide down the pole with us." Smug, he sat back in his chair, knowing Bella never turned down a challenge.

Pushing Emmett's feet off the table, she looked squarely at me. "Really, now? Is it 'cause I'm a girl or because I'm a probie?"

I raised my hands in defense. "I never said that. I said..."

"Sure you did," Jasper said, winking. "You said she'd _never_ play along."

How could I argue with that? Of course, I said it, but not _that _way.

"How long have you guys been discussing whether I'd do this or not?" Bella looked around the room, and her eyes settled on Jacob.

"Since the day you started." Jacob didn't even look up from the paper he was reading. How did she get him to talk like that?

The mutiny was complete. My last resort was to pull rank and forbid it. But, I had to admit to myself, I did kinda want her to do it, too.

Bella threw her things down on the table and walked toward the pole. "Let's get this over with so you guys can concentrate on your jobs or baseball or whatever it was you guys talked about before I showed up."

"Woohoo!" Emmett cried as he led the others in a trail behind her.

As we all gathered around the pole, we looked expectantly at Bella, who was standing with her hands on her hips. "What? Oh, no, you guys have to go first."

"Sure, and you'll just wave goodbye to us and never come down." Emmett smirked, obviously thinking he'd gotten himself out of this.

Bella tilted her head and squinted. "Are you doubting my word?"

Oh, she was good. I chuckled to myself, knowing that Emmett would fold rather than have her feel insulted. They were all putty in her hands. Looking slightly shamed, Emmett grabbed the pole, swung himself around, and slid down to the first floor, whooping and hollering. Jasper and Jacob quickly followed, and all three stared up at us.

"Your turn, Lieutenant." Her smile was slightly evil.

"Oh, no, I'm just an innocent bystander." I stared at her as the guys downstairs loudly called me several colorful names, trying to get me down. "Are you sure you want to do this?" I whispered, leaning close enough to smell the strawberry shampoo I'd become so accustomed to.

She gave me the same determined look she had the day I offered to help her with the truck. I knew better than to argue, so I slid down the pole and waited for her.

We all gazed, enraptured, as she slowly wrapped her body around the pole. She hung suspended over us for just a second, before loosening her grip and plunging toward us. Almost immediately, her feet lightly touched the first floor, stopping her descent, and she turned to face us, her wide grin lighting up her face. Never acknowledging the stunned silence, she walked toward the stairs, pausing only slightly as she yelled over her shoulder.

"Don't think I don't know you were all staring at my ass."

Of course we were. How could we not? Her body was toned but soft, curved and perfect, leading to that impeccably tight little ass. The guys all shook their heads, laughed, and followed her up the stairs as if the world hadn't just titled on its axis. It was several seconds before I could even move.

After that night, the guys went back to talking about sports and beer and politics, the subject of Bella's pole display never coming back up. But it was all I could think about. I imagined her legs wrapping around me instead of that pole, her body sliding down mine. It was a few days before I could look her in the eye again, even though she was still a nightly fantasy while I stroked myself in the shower.

I had to get myself in check, and I concentrated on work and making sure Bella was the best firefighter she could be. She was a natural and seemed to have a true calling for the work. She soaked up all the knowledge we were willing to impart, and all the guys really grew to admire and respect her. They even introduced her to jealous wives and girlfriends, all of whom she also immediately won over. She reminded me of myself when I was a probie.

I checked in with all my guys on a regular basis, making sure they were okay and didn't have any issues we needed to address. Slowly, though, my checkins with Bella turned into something more. We talked about our fathers, mine a doctor and hers a police chief, and how we worried our careers had disappointed them. I was glad to hear that her father was as incredibly proud of her as mine was of me. I told her about my ex-wife, who decided marriage to a firefighter was not what she expected. Bella told me about her ex-fiance, who dumped her on the first day of training after he realized becoming a firefighter was not a passing fancy. I admitted that I struggled with guilt over the people I couldn't save; I'd never told that to anyone. She confessed that she was scared she wouldn't be able to cope once she faced her first fatality, and I was sure I was the only one who knew that about her.

I fell in love with her the day we lost two men from another house in a three-alarm fire at an old warehouse.

Companies from three houses, including ours, responded to the call and fought the fire through the night. They were on the roof, putting out hot spots, when the building partially collapsed underneath them. It could have been any of us that night. Even though our shift had long since ended, we didn't leave until the bodies of our brothers were pulled from the rubble.

The ride back to the station was mournfully silent. Our faces, still black from soot, were masks of grief. Arriving back at the station, everyone jumped off the truck, removed their gear, and headed for the showers.

I stayed behind, sitting next to the truck on the hard concrete floor of the bay. Resting my head on my knees, I allowed the grief and guilt to crush me. I needed to feel it and acknowledge it so I could get past it and do my job again tomorrow.

But this time there was a new component. I kept thinking about what would have happened if Bella had fallen through that roof. What would I have done if I'd lost her?

I knew these worries were the same ones my family had every day I left for my shift. I'd always been on the receiving end, never the worrying end. But I was concerned about all my men any time we fought a fire. Why was I so fixated on Bella? Why did the thought of her, injured or worse, wound me so much more deeply?

Fingers gently pried my clenched hands from my hair, and I looked up as Bella took my freed hand in hers. She had taken off her turnout coat but was still wearing the bright yellow trousers, her red suspenders pulled off her shoulders and hanging at her sides. Sitting next to me on the floor, she looked dead ahead, not at me.

"You okay?" she whispered.

I let my head fall back against the truck. "I don't know," I answered honestly.

We sat there in silence for a while, just holding hands. I listened to her breathe, letting the steady rhythm sooth and calm me. I could sit there forever, me and her, and I knew...I just knew.

Then I remembered; this was her first call with a fatality and the first time she'd truly faced what could happen to any one of us. I turned toward her. "Are _you_ okay?"

She took a deep breath and released it slowly before facing me. Her deep chocolate eyes were shiny with the tears she was fighting. "I don't know either."

As we continued to stare at each other, oblivious to the world around us, she cupped my cheek with her hand, slowly stroking my jaw with her fingertips. Leaning forward, she placed a soft kiss on my forehead. I tried not to sigh, but I couldn't stop myself. She gave my hand one hard squeeze before she released me, stood, and walked away.

It was several minutes before I finally stripped off my gear and walked to the showers. The Do Not Enter sign on the door meant that Bella was taking her shower, and I paused briefly outside before deciding to wait at the dining table. That's when I heard it, muffled sobs just audible over the rushing water. I barely suppressed the urge to barge in there and sweep her into my arms, to hold her and tell her everything would be okay. But I couldn't, not while she was a probie and not while she was in this house. As much as it killed me to do it, I walked away. I left her crying in the shower to work through it on her own.

The next shift she arrived to the station somber but ready to do her job. I'd never been more proud of anyone.

She had six months left in her probationary period. I would not complicate it for her. She was going to be the best firefighter we could make her, and I would just have to table the rest. If and when she was assigned to a new station, I'd tell her. As long as she was in this house and under my watch, I was going to keep my mouth shut.

It was the longest six months of my life.

~ƚÞøƴ~

You would have thought someone shot all their dogs the way the guys acted the day the captain announced that Bella was joining another company at the end of her probation. They'd all become very attached to her during her year in our station. While she was always a probie, she was also like a little sister to them. The captain assured them her transfer wasn't due to any problems with our company; she spoke glowingly of each of us. She even suggested that we be assigned other female probies, as we'd always treated her with respect and made her feel like one of us.

I'm sure she left out the part about the pole. At least I hope she did.

I, on the other hand, was secretly thrilled. Every time I looked at her I almost spontaneously combusted. When we talked, it was all I could do to keep from reaching out for her hand. She was the star of every sleeping and waking sexual dream I had. After six months of denial, I would finally be able to tell her how I felt. Maybe I'm a bit egotistical, but it never once occurred to me that she wouldn't want me back.

That is until two days after she left our station for good.

We were returning from a fire that destroyed a duplex. Fortunately, no one was hurt, and the fire didn't spread to the houses scrunched up on either side. We felt pretty good about ourselves and joked and laughed during the ride back to the station.

As the truck pulled into the bay, I saw her. She was standing, smiling, and talking to the captain. And she was beautiful.

In the year she was at our station, I never once saw her hair down. It was always in a ponytail or piled on top of her head under her helmet, little tendrils teasing me. Even when our company hit IHOP after a shift, her hair was tied back. Today, though, it was flowing down her back in long mahogany waves, curling slightly at the ends, which brushed the center of her back. I tried not to groan, but I don't think I managed.

As the truck came to a stop, she looked at us and smiled, her lips shiny and pale pink. Her bottom lip was caught between her teeth, and she chewed on it briefly. Her dark brown eyes sparkled, her long lashes framing them perfectly.

I then noticed what she was wearing. The tiniest straps held up a short, gauzy sundress in dark blue, my favorite color. Speckled with flowers, the dark fabric set off her pale, smooth skin. And there was so much skin to see. Her bare shoulders and legs were enough to drive me crazy, but, when she turned, her practically bare back was the last nail in my restraint's coffin.

Emmett whistled as he jumped out of the truck. "Damn, girl, you clean up good! Hot date?"

Bella blushed slightly, twirling a lock of hair around her finger. "Maybe."

My stomach dropped, and I stumbled as I stepped down from the passenger side. Granted, six months was a long time to wait to make my move. Still, she'd never said anything about a new boyfriend, and I was sure that was something she'd mention, at least in passing.

Before I could open my mouth, Jasper was between us. "So, Miss Thang, what brings you to our humble house?"

"I left a few things in my locker, and I just wanted to get them." She was still twirling that lock of hair around her finger and me along with it. "How did the call go?"

"It was epic," Jacob answered. "You should be sorry you missed it."

"Well, guys," the captain interjected, "let's hit the showers and get those reports written, okay?" He looked at Bella and smiled. "Good luck at your new station. We're certainly going to miss you around here."

The guys all meandered up the stairs, each of them giving me a look. Maybe I hadn't hid my feelings that well after all.

"So, I guess I'll just head to my locker..."

Throwing my helmet and gloves down, I grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her into the nearest utility room. When I slammed the door and spun around to face her, she looked confused and not just a little frightened. She dropped her purse to the floor and backed away from me.

"What's going on Edward?" She almost never called me by my first name, and I enjoyed how it sounded.

"Do you really have a date?" I whispered, unable to look at her.

"Yes," she said, laughing, "dinner with my parents."

"Oh." I'd acted like an idiot over dinner with her parents. Way to go, dumb ass.

"Were you upset because you thought I had a date," she asked meekly, "or are you mad that I requested a transfer?"

"No, not mad." I took off my turnout coat and, dropping it to the floor, stepped closer.

"Not mad?" Her breathing quickened and became ragged. "What then?"

I took another step. "Relieved."

Bella flattened herself against the wall, her hands splayed out at her sides as if she were trying to hold on while the room spun. "Why relieved?"

"Because I've waited six months to do this."

Closing the distance between us, I wrapped my arm around her waist and yanked her to me, crashing my mouth on top of hers. While my lips moved, hers were still, and I began to wonder if I'd made a mistake.

Just as I started to pull back, I felt her hands run up my arms and over my shoulders. She continued to move until her fingers were buried in my hair, and she clenched it in fistfuls, pulling me closer to her. This time, when my lips touched hers, I felt her mouth open, inviting me in. My tongue tasted her, and she was ripe and sweet.

My lips moved along her jaw, and, as she hung her head back to reveal the soft skin of her neck, I alternated wet, open-mouthed kisses with small nibbles of her flesh downward until I reached her collarbone. I ran my finger underneath the thin strap of her dress, dragging it off her shoulder. Licking a path to her ear, I gently suckled her earlobe as she moaned softly.

"God, I want you," I whispered in her ear, "but are you sure this is how you want our first time to be?"

"Are you asking me if I want you, all sweaty and dirty, to take me up against the wall of a glorified supply closet in the firehouse where we met?" She grabbed my chin and nudged it until I looked at her. Her smile and the gleam in her eye were almost wicked. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

I released her just long enough to remove my suspenders, letting them dangle from my trousers, and peel off my soaked t-shirt. She watched me intently, her pink little tongue licking her lips. I wanted that tongue back in my mouth where it belonged.

Pinning her to the wall, I reclaimed her lips and her tongue. We continued kissing as I pulled down the other strap of her dress, revealing more of her flawless skin and the full curves of her breasts. Cupping her in my hands, my fingers quickly found her taut nipples, rolling, pulling, and pinching them until she cried in pleasure.

"Edward," she whimpered.

"Yeah, baby?"

"This is so much better than I imagined." A fierce blush spread across her face.

"You imagined us...together?"

She paused for a second, her eyes falling to my chest. "Haven't you?"

"Only every day for the last eleven months. Since the day you slid down that fucking pole." Biting her shoulder, I chuckled when she gasped. "And I'm going to act out every single fantasy I've ever had about you."

She watched wide-eyed as I fell to my knees at her feet. I reached up under the thin fabric of her dress and slipped my fingers under the lace of her panties. Gazing into her eyes, I drew her panties down her legs, and, when I reached her feet, she kicked them away. Gathering and lifting her skirt, I placed a kiss on her swollen lips before taking a long, slow lap between them and finding her clit with the tip of my tongue. She spread her legs wider, opening herself up to me. I drank her sweet, dripping arousal, thrusting two fingers deep inside her. With each firm circle of my tongue, her body tightened further around me. Moaning my name, she pressed me into her, and I sucked her sensitive nub until I could feel her reach the edge of oblivion. With one final swipe of my tongue, I stood and kissed her, letting her taste herself in my mouth.

When I reached for my zipper, she stopped me. I couldn't take my eyes off her hands as she unbuttoned and unzipped my pants, pushing them and my boxers down until they pooled at my ankles. Sucking her lip between her teeth, she took my hard cock into her hands, pumping and stroking it slowly. I couldn't decide whether to watch her face as she concentrated or her hands as they pleasured me, and I eventually settled on closing my eyes and enjoying the sensation.

"Bella." I was the one whimpering this time.

"Yeah, baby?"

"I seriously love what you're doing to me right now." I paused, trying to catch my breath and gather my thoughts.

Her hand clamped down around me. "But?"

"But if I'm not inside you soon, I'm going to lose my mind."

Bending over, she felt around for her purse and found it at her feet. She retrieved a foil packet from its depths and ripped it open. "I suck at this," she said, laughing and handing it to me.

Sheathing myself in latex, I pushed her gently against the wall and lifted her until she wrapped her legs around my waist. Our eyes met, and we gazed at each other intently as I slowly entered her. I continued to thrust until we were completely joined, and the feeling was overwhelming. I couldn't look at her anymore; if I did, I was going to lose it.

Burying my face in the crook of her neck, I muttered against her skin. "Bella, I...I love you...so much." Once I started, I couldn't leave the words unsaid. "I have for so long."

"Me, too," she whispered, kissing the top of my head. "I love you, too, Edward."

I pulled almost completely out and thrust into her again, this time harder and faster. Her gasp, followed by a sighed "yes," let me know this was what she wanted, and I wanted to give it to her. Soon, I was pounding into her, crushing her against the wall, and she responded by grinding against me each time I was buried inside her. Her body, so tight and wet, welcomed me in with every thrust, molding itself to fit only me.

She grabbed the hair at the back of my head and pulled hard. "Look at me," she said between moans. "Look at me, Edward."

I struggled to maintain my punishing rhythm when I saw her face. It was flushed and pink, and her eyes were glassy and barely open. Her lips, red and swollen, formed a perfectly round O. As her body began to tense, I realized what she was doing. She wanted me to watch her come.

Tightly encircling her with one arm, I raised my hand to brush my fingertips along her jaw and over her trembling lips. "Come for me, Bella," I begged. "Please."

I thrust into her twice more and crashed my lips to her as I felt her shudder then clamp down hard around me. I swallowed her cries, and her release brought on my own. The pressure that had built up inside me exploded, and I came in hard, fast spasms deep inside her while she continued to writhe and throb in pleasure. Our movements slowed until we stood still, and I reluctantly pulled away.

When she unwrapped her legs, I swung us around until my back was against the wall. I lifted her legs with my arm behind her knees, and I slid down the wall until I was sitting, bare assed on the concrete floor, Bella in my lap. She nuzzled into my chest, and her long hair tickled me. We didn't speak; we just held each other.

"How long would you have waited?" she whispered.

"For you? As long as it took." I kissed her forehead. "As long as there was any possibility."

She took in a deep breath and released it slowly, cooling my skin as she blew across it. "You're not going to ask me to quit now, are you?"

"Never." I placed my fingers under her chin and tilted her head up. Her eyes were filled with worry. "Never," I said again, more forcefully. "Being a firefighter is as much a part of you as it of me, and I'd never ask you to give that up."

Just as she smiled in relief, the alarm sounded.

"Fuck!" I jumped to my feet, and Bella helped me clean up, dress, and gather my gear. By the time I pulled my turnout coat on, Bella had straightened her dress and her hair, and, except for the blush on her cheeks, you'd have never known she'd been completely ravaged just minutes ago.

We ignored the stares of the guys, who were pulling on gear and climbing into the truck, as we left the utility room. The alarm was still sounding and I was halfway to the truck when I heard Bella yell behind me.

"Breakfast...with my parents...after your shift?"

Picking up my gloves and helmet where I dropped them, I spun around to face her. "I wouldn't miss it!"

It felt strange leaving her behind as Emmett flipped on the lights and siren and drove the truck out of the bay. I watched as her reflection in the truck's side mirror got smaller and smaller and finally disappeared. Then I remembered her kiss and that she'd be there at the end of my shift.

With that thought to keep me going, I prepared to fight the next fire.

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**A/N: Thank you to my lovely beta erikasbuddy, to cutie_sstb for writing my wonderful summary, and my DH and Susie for pre-reading. *hugs for all***

**Bella's dress:  
http://i672 . photobucket . com/albums/vv84/fragilelittlehuman/poy_bella_dress . png**


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